Did you know that Ivan Rakitic will forever be remembered as the first footballer who captained his team to victory in a UEFA Europa League Final and as well received the man of the match award? If you don’t, then you probably don’t know that he was crowned the Croatian sportsman of the year in 2015 and, that his international career started with Switzerland’s youth team.
Born in Möhlin, Switzerland on 10th March 1988, Ivan was raised by his Croatian family in the Central European country where his dad and older brother, Dejan Rakitić who were footballers inspired him to nurture an interest in the game.
Following an impressive youth career with FC Basel, Ivan kicked off his senior career with the club in 2005, moved to Bundesliga’s FC Schalke 04 in 2007 and then Spain’s Sevilla in 2011. In 2014, he inked a five-year contract with FC Barcelona.
During his youth career, Ivan was a Swiss star who played across Switzerland’s youth level national teams. But, owing to the fact that his father hails from Sikirevci, in Brod-Posavina, Croatia, he was invited by the country’s national football team to join its senior team. He accepted the invite and has been flying the country’s jersey since September 2007.
Ivan Rakitic Wife
It is common knowledge that Barcelona’s attacking midfielder has been a husband to Raquel Mauri since April 2013, they got married in a secret wedding after dating for over two years.
As it was a secret wedding, many didn’t get to know that the two were already expecting their first child when they got married. As such, it was quite a surprise when it emerged that Ivan has fathered a daughter – Althea – just after a few months it circulated that he married his partner; Althea was born sometime in July 2013. About 3 years later, in May 2016, the couple welcomed their second daughter and named her Adara.
We gathered that Mr. Rakitic accompanied his wife to most of the clinical examinations that followed the birth of his two daughters. He once expressed that he was caught off guard by the responsibilities that come with being a father. Nonetheless, he remains committed to building an amazing and good-natured home with his partner.
Is He Gay?
Although Ivan Rakitic’s marriage to Raquel Mauri outrightly indicates that he is not sexually attracted to his gender, people were compelled to question his sexual identity at the 2014 UEFA Europa League final.
After the battle between Sevilla and Benfica at Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Ivan was captured sharing an energetic mouth-to-mouth kiss with Daniel Carrico while celebrating Sevilla’s 4 – 2 triumph over the Portuguese side.
Disregarding this, there has been no other reason to question the man’s sexual orientation.
Ivan’s Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
The Croatian footballer is slightly taller than 6 feet (1.84 m) and his weight fluctuates between 76 and 79 kg. Other details of his body measurements areas listed below:
Chest: 38.5 inches
Biceps: 14.5 inches
Waist: 33.5 inches
Other Facts to Know About Ivan Rakitic
1. The Croatian midfielder won the Swiss Cup in the 2006-07 season with Basel, the same season he was honored as the Young Player of the year in Swiss Super League and for scoring the Goal of the Season.
2. With Sevilla, Ivan won the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League. His performance in the final against Benfica was so cool he received the man of the match award. In addition to that, he was named among the UEFA Europa League Team of the season.
3. The Barcelona star who was in 2015 honored as the Croatian footballer of the year got recognized in January 2014 as the La Liga player of the month.
4. He has been named as a member of various best footballer’s teams for his outstanding skills and performances on the pitch. You will find Ivan Rakitic listed among the 2015 FIFPro World XI 5th team and that of the 4th team of 2016.
5. Also, the Croatian soccer star is among the La Liga team of the 2013-14 season, the same season he emerged as one of the players of the UEFA Europa League choice team. That’s not all, Ivan again made it to the 2014-15 La Liga team and the UEFA Champions League team of the same season.
6. He won most of his prestigious trophies with Barcelona. While he has lifted the Copa del Rey trophy with the club consecutively from the 2014-15 season to 2017-18, he won the esteemed UEFA Champions League in 2014-15.
7. More to that, Ivan won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2015. Apart from winning the Supercopa de España in 2016, the Croatian equally grabbed the La Liga prize with the Spanish giant in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.
